1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a generator, and more particularly to a hand squeeze generator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small size electric appliances, e.g., flashlight, battery charger, are indispensable in our daily life; however, so far all these small sized electric appliances must use batteries or connection to a power source to operate. Those battery dependent products permit easy portability and convenient usage, but a battery must be replaced or recharged due to limited storage capacity of the battery. As a result, these electric appliances are not necessarily always readily available; and that could be a problem particularly for those who spend much time on the road. To correct this problem, the hand actuated generator is introduced into the market. There are two common types of hand actuated generator: one is rotated (cranking type) and the other is reciprocated (squeezing type). A rotated type of hand crank battery charger, as disclosed in China Patent No. 200320110847.2, comprises a micro generator driven by a crank to generate electricity for an output socket and an illuminating device. This design has the following shortcomings. The crank drives the generator to generate electricity through a transmission gear. The generator will stop generation of electricity when the crank stops rotation. In order to produce more electricity, the gear transmission unit needs larger transmission ratio. Even the user turns the crank quickly, it is hard to produce enough electricity. The structure of this generator is complicated, and it requires two hands to operate.
The reciprocated type or squeezing type allow single handed operation and yet the generator stops when hand motion stops. The generation of electricity is limited.
The hand actuated generator of the prior art operates by cranking or squeezing to drive the gears to rotate, those gears in turn drives the generator. Once cranking or squeezing stops, the generator also stops generating power. Accordingly, to generate more power, a great effort must be consumed. The applicant has also invented a hand crank generator which uses clutch gear and weighted wheel to achieve continuous generation of electricity current as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/968,639. The shortcoming of that is it requires two hands to operate. This application is designed for single handed operation to overcome the above limitations.